Ethereal Emergency
by Got Tea
Summary: June FF Challenge for CSI Forever Online. Part of the Ethereal series. A family afternoon turns disasterous for two of the Sidle-Grissom girls.
1. Chapter 1

So, how ridiculously long has it been since I've been able to post? Not sure I really want to know. My dear, hardworking laptop packed up months ago and it's taken that long to discover the problem, attempt to fix it, fail multiple times, back up the data, and finally manage to obtain a new one. So there we are; now all I have to do is iron out the differences and get used to a new keyboard. This is my response to the June fan fiction challenge at CSI Forever Online. I just couldn't resist the chance to play with my Ethereal girls again; and now that I have a new machine, hopefully I can get the proper story going again. I wanted this to be posted all together, but in the last two days I have spent twenty seven hours traveling half way around the world, slept about four hours, received my new laptop and installed all the software, slept another three hours, and sat down to get this going before the dead line is up. So, as I am about to fall out of my chair with exhaustion, let me just say, sorry for the rambling, I'm thrilled to be back, and please enjoy.

...

...

"Syd, hurry up," screeched Sophie, charging into their bedroom. "Daddy's here and mom said that they have a tie-dye station set up, as well as a competition to build the best boat to sail across the pool later tonight." With a sigh, Sydney put down her cello and followed her sister out of the room. In the combined kitchen, living and dining area of their apartment Sara was perched on a chair, applying sunscreen to six year old Kaia's arms and face. Grissom was leading against the counter, drinking a glass of water, and wearing his ridiculous straw hat.

"Hi Syddie," he smiled, putting his glass down and scooping her up into a hug. "Ready for the party?" Syd nodded and returned his hug. The annual summer party for the apartment complex was starting in ten minutes, and from last years' experience, Sara and her girls knew it was not something to be missed.

"You should have come last year daddy," said Kaia, "it was really good."

"I know ladybug," sighed Grissom, "but I had to go to work. I'm really looking forward to today though," he added, smiling at his youngest and settling her sunhat over her long, thick brown hair.

"Where's granny?" asked Sydney, looking around.

"She's running late honey," said Sara, "she had to run to the store before she could come over. She'll meet us down by the pool, she promised. OK, everyone ready?" a quick check assured her that the twins had hats and sunglasses and that everyone's laces were tied; another scraped knee was not on the agenda for the day. Satisfied, she grabbed her keys and herded them all out the door. As they walked over the grassy playground toward the pool and the tables of food and games set up, and the girls charged over to the tie-dye station, Gil glanced sideways at Sara.

"I'm sorry about last night," he apologised, wishing he could take back his comments at the crime scene they had shared. After shift, he had gone home and spent most of his mornings sleep regretting his accusations and criticisms before it was time to get up and go over to see Sara and his girls.

"It doesn't matter," sighed Sara, her eyes on Sophie as the more adventurous twin dived right into the madness of cotton t-shirts and dyes. "Let's just forget about it and have a good afternoon. The girls have really been looking forward to today."

"OK," he agreed quietly. He had thought they were getting along better of late, but the tail end of a migraine last night, and the sickening nature of the crime scene, and he had lost his temper with her again. Shaking his head to clear it, he banished his thoughts and hurried over to prevent the purple dye war that was looming between Sophie and Kaia. By the time he got there Sophie was explaining to the woman running the stall exactly why it was important to twist the shirt in the particular pattern she wanted. The old lady watched Sophie with bemused, but frustrated eyes as Sophie launched into a monolog about shapes, the properties of the dye, and importance of the exact recipe of the pre-dying wash. The lady looked up at Sara, who was helping Sydney tie her shirt so that she would have a heart shaped design. Sara smiled and shrugged helplessly as her ten year old finished her lecture and launched into a detailed history of the dying process over the ages.

"Geez," muttered the old lady, "that's not how I'm used to doing it, and I've been tie-dying these last forty years." Shaking her head she went to the other end of the table to help a swarm of young boys. Sara managed to keep a straight face until the shirts were finished and left to soak. As they moved over to an inflatable assault course that Kaia was fixed on Sara made the mistake of catching Gil's eye; he too had heard Sophie's lecture, and was shaking with suppressed mirth. They both burst into laughter and looked away from each other, before they had to explain themselves to Sophie. As the girls raced toward the first obstacle, Gil and Sara walked down the length of the course, watching as Kaia scaled a ramp and climbed a net grid. Behind her Sydney battled through a ball pit as Sophie tumbled out of it and launched herself at the slippery ramp. Sara raised her camera and snapped pictures of them, a warm smile lighting her face as she captured their glee. Stepping back, something hard slammed into her hip and leg, knocking her sideways into Gil, who caught her in wonderfully warm, strong arms. A sting of French curse words met her ears and the twelve year old son of the French family in the building over from hers scrambled to his feet and charged away, chased by his older brother and father. "Watch where you're going," Sara yelled after their retreating backs, rubbing her hip. "This is a community party, not a riot." The French words rolled off her tongue fluidly, sounding angry and sexy at the same time, thought Gil with a sigh as he watched her make her way to the end of the course in time to snap pictures of each of their children as they crashed over the finish line. As the girls raced through the course three more times he mused over how to repair the damaged relationship he and Sara shared. He was roused from his thoughts when Kaia raced over to him and jumped up into his arms.

"Did you see me daddy?" she giggled, kissing his cheek.

"Yes I did," he grinned, tickling her. "I also saw you beat your sisters every time." Kaia laughed and nodded.

"They're too slow daddy."

"Is that so?" he teased.

"Yes," replied Kaia, seriously. "I'm hungry," she informed him, point to the food tents. "Look, Tika has smoothies." They ambled over to the stand where Tika, the elderly Indonesian lady who lived across the hall from Sara, was presiding over a selection of food from her native country, as well as the smoothie machine. Sara and the twins met them there, munching on bowls of watermelon and pineapple. Tika was making a special Indonesian milkshake for the girls while she asked after Gil, commenting that he hadn't been around as much in the last couple of weeks. He apologised, telling her that he had been extremely busy at work. Tika only nodded and eyed him, her ageless brown gaze cutting through his half lie; the weight of her unspoken opinions falling heavily on him. She gave Sophie and Sydney each a paper cup of dark green liquid and started on Kaia's request of a strawberry and kiwi smoothie. The twins moved the picnic tables to eat while Sara asked Tika questions about the rest of the afternoon and evening. Gil set Kaia on her feet so the girl could investigate the trays of food. He was helping her choose when he heard Sophie's frantic call. He looked up, alarmed, as Sara spun around. The twins were at the closest empty picnic table, but both Sara and Gil could see instantly that something was desperately wrong. Sophie was standing, clutching the table edge and gasping for breath. Sydney had dropped her drink as she stood, staggering. Her hands clawed at her throat, her eyes wide with panic. They were less than fifty yards away, but by the time Sara and Gil reached them, Sydney had collapsed on the grass, her eyes rolled back in her head and her lips blue.

"Call an ambulance," bellowed Gil, catching Sophie as her legs gave out. Her lips were rapidly turning as blue as her sisters', her throat swelling and her breathing severely laboured. Sara was crouched over Sydney, trying to breathe air into lungs that were blocked by a swollen tongue, throat and airway. Sophie wheezed and gurgled in his arms, rapidly losing consciousness. Kaia stood, terrified, halfway between her mother and father, not knowing which way to go. Sophie went limp in his arms and he started CPR breaths. He could hear Sara begging Sydney to hang on in between breaths. Grissom didn't dare look up now, all his attention was locked on forcing air into Sophie's lungs. He heard Sara curse, and Kaia start to cry, the murmur to the crowd around them, and then finally, finally, the sound of approaching sirens.


	2. Chapter 2

Paramedics took charge of the scene with practiced ease and speed, pushing Grissom and Sara aside.

"What caused this?" "Known allergies?" "Were they both exposed to the same thing?"

"They were eating fruit and smoothies, they have no known allergies or other medical problems," Sara rattled off as Grissom scooped up the terrified Kaia and tried to sooth her. "They're ten, have never had worse than the flu, they've had all their shots and have never had surgery," Sara continued, her voice calm and steady despite the tremors of fear shaking her slender frame.

Two paramedics knelt over each twin, administering epinephrine and trying to establish clear airways. Grissom watched as the ashen colour of Sophie's skin slowly started to change; the two men bundled her swiftly onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. Gil glanced over at Sara, seeing his fear reflected back in her eyes. She saw Kaia in his arms and nodded, turning back to Sydney as he leapt into the ambulance.

Kaia clutched his neck as the siren shrilled and the vehicle sped down the road.

"Come on kid," said the paramedic as he pushed a second dose of epinephrine and manually pressed air into her lungs. Grissom reached out and gripped one of Sophie's hands as he clutched Kaia with the other. Kaia buried her face in his neck as they hurried on.

…

"Breathe girl, breathe," commanded the female paramedic working on Sydney.

"Dammit," cussed her partner, a young Asian man, "Liz, I can't get an airway established."

"Come on girl, don't make me give you a trach," warned Liz, as she forced IV fluids and another dose of epinephrine into Sydney. On her knees in the grass Sara pressed her hands to her face, her lower lip clenched so tightly between her teeth that blood drops oozed from the skin. She clutched Syd's lifeless hand in hers, her skin almost as ashen with fear as her daughter's. Watching the paramedics work she felt her heart hammer in her chest; what was happening with Sophie? She wondered if Kaia and Gil were alright, and then felt an overwhelming sense of panic when she realized they had both left their cell phones in the apartment. What if they were sent to different hospitals and couldn't get hold of each other. She was snapped back to the immediate present when Brian let out a victorious yelp.

"Got it Liz," he said, attaching a bag and pushing air into Sydney's lungs.

"Let's go," ordered the woman tightly. Seconds later, they too were thundering away in a flash of blue lights and a roar of sirens.

…

Grissom hurried down the corridor of the ER, clutching Kaia whose arms were locked in a chokehold around his neck and whose legs were firmly wrapped around his waist. The paramedics were rattling off a litany of medical stats as nurses and a young doctor in a white coat and animal patterned scrubs rolled Sophie into a bay and transferred her to the hospital bed.

"Vitals and breathing have improved on the ride over, swelling and hives marginally so," concluded the senior paramedic.

"No known allergies or other medical issues, and her twin sis is coming in on the next bus."

"What's her name?"

"Sophie."

"Thanks," nodded the doctor, before issuing rapid-fire orders to the nurses. "May, keep the IV fluids going, Tom, get ready for the sister; this must be connected." The doctor moved over Sophie, her fingers probing, her eyes searching, and her ears listening through her stethoscope. "Jess, we've got bronchial spasm, get her on a salbutamol nebulizer."

Abruptly the doctor turned to Grissom, who had been watching from the curtain where he was out of the way but could hear and see everything. "Are you dad?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Doc Lara Smith, what caused this?"

"They both had fruit and smoothies at a party immediately prior to collapsing. I don't know what was in the smoothies, but the fruit is what they would usually eat."

"Is mom with her sister?" asked the doc, shaking her shock of black spiky hair out of her eyes as she snapped off her latex gloves and tossed them in the medical waste bin.

"Yes. Is Sophie…"

"She's going to be ok," soothed Lara. She pointed to various machines that hummed and beeped at steady intervals. "Look, her breathing is improving dramatically, her vitals are steady and the swelling is going down. She'll sleep for a while so we can monitor her and run some tests; I want to check out her lungs and heart, make sure there won't be any lasting damage. Then we need to find out what it is that doesn't agree with her, okay?" Gil nodded, and moved closer to Sophie, taking her hand in his.

"Kaia, it's ok," he murmured to the silently frozen six year old clinging to him, "Look, Sophie's right here. She's just sleeping." Kaia peeled her face away from his neck and looked over at her big sister, then reached out to touch her hand gently, needing the reassurance. Gil smoothed Sophie's hair and glanced at the clock on the wall; where the heck were Sara and Sydney?

…

Liz and Brian hauled the stretcher out of the ambulance and locked the wheels in place to move just as the heart monitor gave a loud, insistent, steady alarm.

"She's arrested," yelled Brian, not seemingly aware that Liz was right next to him. Liz let out a curse that would have shocked Sara had she not been so gripped with intense fear.

"You have got to be kidding me," growled Liz, starting chest compressions. "Come on kid, don't let me down now."

...

...

I had a question about whether I am continuing with the main story Ethereal Theory, and the answer is yes I absolutely am; I'm just still in the process of getting all the data from my deceased old laptop to my new one. I'm working on it!


	3. Chapter 3

Somehow, they moved the stretcher inside at a run while Liz kept going with the chest compressions and Brian worked the manual ventilation. Doc Lara saw them coming and ushered them into the treatment bay, barking orders once again as Brian rattled off his stats. They transferred Sydney to the hospital bed as Lara pushed a third dose of epinephrine into the IV port. Liz let out a triumphant hiss as the monitor registered a heartbeat. As the swelling in her throat began to subside, Sydney began to breathe on her own; shallow, wheezing breaths.

"Tom," ordered Lara, without even looking up from her exam, "get the salbutamol, she's got bronchial spasm too. Mary, get bloods sent up now, Anna, more fluids." Lara leant down, listening to Syd's chest through her stethoscope. "Come on little girl," she murmured softly, "show me some improvement." The wheezing breaths continued as Tom set up the nebulizer, but her heart rate steadied and her oxygen saturation level began to increase. Satisfied that the worst was over, Lara turned to the parents. They were stood between the two girls, wedged against Sophie's bed out of the way. The younger sister was now clinging to her mother, staring at Sydney, a terrified expression on her face.

"Hi," said Lara softly, smiling gently at her. "What's your name?"

"Kaia," came the whispered reply.

"That's a pretty name. I'm Lara; it's nice to meet you." She was rewarded with a shy, half smile. "I bet you're pretty scared right now, huh?" she asked. Kaia nodded, her eyes fixed on Lara's. "Well, guess what, I think your sisters are going to be ok. I bet they'll be really impressed with how brave you've been today. I know I am, so how about if I give you a little something to show the world just how brave you are?" Kaia watched her steadily as Lara reached into a pocket and pulled out a sticker of a fluffy teddy wearing a bandage on his arm and a purple bandanna.

"What do you think huh?" she asked. Kaia grinned and nodded.

"I like it. Thank you," she watched intently as Lara stuck the bear carefully on her t-shirt for her.

"Do you like to draw, Kaia?" asked Lara.

"Uh huh," replied Kaia, nodding vigorously.

"How about you sit here and draw a picture for me while I talk to mommy and daddy?" Kaia nodded again, eagerly taking the paper and crayons that Anna brought over. Sara settled her on the spare bed that the nurse dragged over, and Lara raised the rails on both sides. Satisfied that Kaia was utterly engrossed in her task, Lara, Sara and Grissom retreated a few paces.

The doctor held out her hand to Sara.

"Doc Lara Smith," she introduced herself, "paediatric specialist on loan to the ER because they're short staffed."

"Sara Sidle. Are they really going to be ok?"

"I think so, yes," replied Lara, her tone setting Sara and Gil at ease. "I have to say that it's rare for most food allergies to cause respiratory reactions this severe, but we haven't ascertained the cause yet. You said that they were eating the same thing, but it's still possible this was caused by environmental factors."

"What's the next step?" asked Grissom.

"They'll be admitted for at least twenty-four hours, maybe longer. Right now, Sophie's vitals are all returning to normal, and her breathing is much better. Her sister," Lara stopped, realizing she didn't know the second twin's name.

"Sydney," supplied Sara, glancing over at the younger twin, her eyes dark with worry.

"Right, Sydney has obviously fared worse, I would guess she was exposed to more of the toxin than Sophie. Still, her vitals are good, if not quite where they need to be, and the salbutamol will help get her breathing back on track."

"What type of testing will you do to determine what allergen is?" asked Sara.

"Blood, and probably skin. In seventy per cent of cases involving identical twins, they have the same allergies, but we'll test both to make sure nothing else crops up."

"When are they going to wake up?" asked Grissom

"I want them to stay asleep a while longer; until their breathing is back to normal. My experience with kids after a major allergy attack, especially the first time, is that they tend to freak out when they wake up in hospital and they can't breathe properly."

"That sounds about right, and if Soph woke up first to find Syd unconscious and hooked up to oxygen she'd hit the roof."

"Which I'd like to avoid," smiled Lara. "Keeping them calm will help them settle down faster."

"Are they going to have side effects from this?" Sara wanted to know. Lara pursed her lips in thought.

"I doubt there will be anything long term, but there may be small stuff in the next few days, that we can deal with. No guarantees of course," she warned them, "but I think they'll be ok."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" queried Gil.

"Not right now, they'll take you through the finer details upstairs when the results come back. I have a couple questions though. Any medical conditions in the family?"

"Otosclerosis through my mother, and I get migraines about once a year," he replied.

"Insomnia," shrugged Sara when the doctor turned to her.

"Ok, how about any history of allergies in the family."

"My father suffered from hay fever," said Gil, "but there's nothing else on my side."

"Shellfish for me, and my mother was allergic to bees," answered Sara.

"Didn't you ever have them tested for allergies before they started school," asked Lara.

"Yes," replied Sara, "but there were no indicators."

"Ok, well we'll definitely be getting to the bottom of this before they can go home; I don't want to see this happening again."

"Me either," sighed Gil and Sara in unison, turning back to their girls.


	4. Chapter 4

Alexa Sidle strode purposefully into room seven of the level three paediatric floor. Her granddaughter was seated between two beds, filling out a plethora of forms; a harassed, exhausted and emotionally drained expression graced her features, and showed in the slump of her shoulders and the slack grip of her pen. To either side of her, a twin slept peacefully; machines bleeping regular rhythms and oxygen masks hissing gently.

"I get side-tracked by a friend at the store for **one** hour and all hell breaks loose," she teased gently. Sara looked up and Alexa sighed, putting her purse on the bedside table, before pulling her grandchild up into her arms. Sara's head fell onto her shoulder, a tremor ran through her body and Alexa heard a soft sniff.

"What happened?" she asked gently. "I got to the party and all Tika could tell me was that they had collapsed and stopped breathing."

"How did you know where we were?" asked Sara, wiping her eyes on a scrap of tissue from her pocket. Alexa produced a cloth handkerchief and passed it over. They sank into the chairs, Alexa turning hers to face Sara.

"I play bridge with one of the ER nurses." Sara related the story, stopping a few times to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

"They're both doing much better now; Syd just has a trace of wheeziness. Now it's a matter of testing for the allergen."

"Where are Gil and Kaia?" asked Alexa, looking around.

"Griss took Kaia to the cafeteria to get something to eat and to de-stress her a little. I think he needed it a little too."

"And you? Have you eaten anything recently?"

"No, but Griss will bring me something back." Alexa sat back with a sigh, surveying the room.

"Can I do anything for you Sara?" she inquired, wanting to ease that drained look away from her granddaughter. Sara looked up from the paperwork she had returned to, a sliver of a smile flickered across her face.

"You already are granny," she replied.

…

The following morning Sara was dozing fitfully in her chair when she heard muttering on her left. Sophie was talking in her sleep as she started to wake up. Getting up, she walked over to the bed, taking hold of Sophie's hand and stoking her cheek soothingly. Sophie yawned and rolled onto her back. Her nose twitched irritably and she opened her eyes, looking up at her mother.

"What is that smell?" she demanded, her expression disgusted. Her voice was slightly off, and she put a hand to her throat, which was sore from the breathing tube the day before. "Oww," she protested. Sara smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"It's what hospitals smell like," she explained.

"Why am I in a hospital?" frowned Sophie, her eyes narrowing as she examined the room. Her gaze found Sydney, who was curled on her side facing them; her eyes blinking sleepily. She gave a half-hearted wave in lieu of saying good morning. "What happened mom?" pushed Sophie, her eyes locked on her twin, examining her for any damage; Syd met her gaze and a wordless conversation passed between them; they felt tired and grouchy, their throats were sore and they itched.

Nurse Annette heard her question as she walked in to check up on her patients.

"Well, Miss Sydney," she said, walking over to read Sophie's chart and vitals

"Sophie," interrupted the girl, scowling.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sophie, Doctor McAdamson will be here in just a moment to talk to you about that."

Annette moved over to Sydney's bed to perform the same service just as a tall woman with the reddest hair Sara had ever seen walk in, carrying a pair of files.

"Good morning everyone," she said cheerfully. "I'm Doctor Kezi," she shook hands with Sara and each of the girls. "How about we get you both sitting together with mom so we can talk huh?" She helped Sophie move over to Syd's bed, taking the still attached IV but disconnecting the monitors and other apparatus. "So girls, what do you remember from yesterday?" she asked, taking Sara's chair and turning it to face the bed. Sophie sat on Sara's left, arms crossed and a frown on her face. Sydney curled into Sara's right side, still half asleep.

"T-shirts, race," she yawned. "Sophie made me stop playing so we could go to the party."

"Granny was late, we raced Kaia and she won," shrugged Sophie.

"Well, you came here because you touched something or ate something or breathed something in that your bodies didn't like," said Doctor Kezi gently.

"You mean we were exposed to some unknown allergen, which caused some level of allergic reaction. And from our lack of memory, the fact that we've obviously been admitted to the paediatric high risk ward, and as we both have sore throats, my guess is we suffered from anaphylaxis to some degree of severity," replied Sophie, impatient with the slow progression of facts.

Sara sighed, thinking she should have remembered to warn the doctor. To her credit though, Doctor Kezi merely paused for a moment, her eyes widening in shock, before continuing.

"That is correct," said the doctor; she turned her gaze to Sydney, who was tucked safely under Sara's arm. "Do you understand what that means Sydney?" she asked.

"We stopped breathing, had to be resuscitated and," Syd paused, studying the doctor carefully for a moment, before going on, "you still don't know what it was, and now you're going to want to test us to find out."

"Right," replied Doctor Kezi slowly; her gaze flickered to Sara's face, registering the suppressed smile there.

"So my guess is you want to use skin testing to try and determine what it is, and since you have obviously already taken blood, and considering the bruise forming on my arm it looks like the phlebotomist or nurse missed the vein a couple of times, I am led to believe that particular test wasn't successful," said Sophie, very matter-of-factly as she inspected the mark on her left arm.

Doctor Kezi swallowed and pulled out a sheet of paper, diagramming what the skin test would look like, as she talked them through the procedure.

…

An hour later Grissom walked into the room carrying Kaia piggyback style; she was still tired from the very late bedtime the night before, despite the fact that he had let her sleep in longer than usual. It had been late evening by the time the twins were fully stabilized and settled in the paediatric unit; he and Sara had agreed that she would stay the night at the hospital and he would take Kaia back to Sara's place to sleep.

In the doorway he had to swerve abruptly to avoid colliding with a very frazzled doctor who looked like she wanted nothing more than to sit down with a stiff drink. An eyebrow raised he continued inside and found two miserable looking daughters and an exhausted Sara who was trying to comfort them both at the same time.

"Hey guys," he said softly, "what's the matter." Sara sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"They've developed a rash; it's all over their arms, legs and backs and it itches like crazy. They also have allergic conjunctivitis," she said, smoothing Sophie's hair. He lifted Kaia onto the bottom of Sydney's bed, where she promptly curled up and went back to sleep, Gil sat down next to his little musician, kissing her forehead and stroking her fingers. She stared back at him, her eyes holding the same flat, sad look that Sophie's had.

"I brought you some coffee," Gil said softly to Sara, handing her a travel mug, "and I brought you a change of clothes."

"Thank you," she replied, surprised at his thoughtfulness.

"If you want to go and get cleaned up I'll stay here," he told her. She gave him a soft smile of thanks.

"In a moment; one of the nurses will be here soon with lotion for the rash. It might be easier if we apply it."

"Good point," he nodded, smoothing back Sydney's tangled hair. She, like her twin, was dozing; moving in and out of consciousness and not really registering his presence, though her eyes would momentarily follow him before she closed them again.

"How long have they been like this?" he asked.

"Uh, Doctor Kezi came about ninety minutes ago to talk about what happened and the girls complained they were itchy; then she left and came back just as it was really starting to show. You saw her leaving as you came in."

"Yeah, she looked… ah… somewhat perturbed," he remarked, thinking of the woman's harried expression.

"That was partly my fault," admitted Sara, "I forgot to warn her she wasn't dealing with typical ten year old patients and not to be unnerved if she found herself talking to a pair of textbooks."

A wry grin crossed his lips, Sara saw and pursed her own, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Did Kaia sleep ok?" she asked, her gaze on their youngest, "no nightmares or anything?"

"She was fine," he replied, tucking the little girl's dangling leg back onto the bed before someone caught it and woke her up. "She just didn't sleep long enough."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I slept fine; I thought I'd be awake all night, but your bed is very comfortable."

"I know," she frowned.

"I'm sorry Sara," he said gently. She looked at him, seeing his apology wasn't for the night before. He was talking about their turbulent relationship; the waves of anger and irritation that kept overwhelming what had once been a peaceful and loving union.

"So am I," she replied heavily. "We just can't seem to get this right, can we?" he shook his head slowly, gently stroking Sydney's cheek as she fidgeted. Under his soft touch she settled again. He thought back to their time together in San Francisco, when the twins were little; they had been so happy together, a proper family.

Time and careers had forced a wedge between them; they were younger and couldn't settle. Despite frequently flyer miles between Vegas and San Fran, and the occasional lapse in self-control, they still couldn't forge a more permanent relationship. When their lack of discipline brought them Kaia a month after the twins forth birthday they had forced separation and more distance on themselves. Visits were strictly about the girls and gradually they moved back into an easy friendship, but nothing more.

He had thought that when she came to Vegas things would be different, and at first they were. They had worked together with effortlessness that their co-workers envied; they socialized happily with their girls, and enjoyed each other's company. He couldn't quite pinpoint when life had started to go downhill again, to the point where it was a struggle to be civil with each other around the girls; despite their differences, the wellbeing of their children was always of foremost importance. Even at their most hostile they were still bound together through their children. They were like magnets in a way, desiring each other but repelling each other away whenever they got to close.

Nurse Annette was back, bearing the promised soothing cream. Pulling himself out of unhappy thoughts, Gil turned himself to the task at hand with a slight grimace. The twins were incredibly ticklish, and were both very irritable patients.

"You might want to let us do this," suggested Sara carefully. Annette raised an eyebrow, but handed one jar to Gil and then the other to Sara.

"If you say so, but I want to check on the rash." Sara gently peeled Sophie's blanket away; the girl grumbled and rolled over, sticking her head under the pillow. Her gown slid open, showing her back and the angry, red inflamed skin.

"It's ok Soph," murmured Sara softly, "this will make it feel better." She cracked open the jar and scooped out a handful of the cream, rubbing it between her hands to warm it up a little before gently smoothing it onto Sophie's back; the girl grizzled, her face thrust firmly into the mattress, but lay still. A quick glance told Sara that Sydney was letting her dad apply the cream with only marginally more enthusiasm that her sister.

Annette took the jar, gathering a dollop and placing the jar on the bed before reaching for Sophie's arm. When the cold, cream covered hands of another person touched her Sophie screeched in shock, scrambling out from under the pillow and backwards down the bed in a wave of sheets and blankets. Annette lunged for the cream as it fell off the side of the bed; across the room Sydney sat up with a yell, looking for the source of her sister's distress. Her movements jolted Kaia awake; confused and scared in an unfamiliar environment the little girl began to cry.

…

It was more than quarter of an hour before sufficient calm was restored to the room, the cream was thoroughly applied and the rash was checked. Finally the twins were sitting up eating the very late breakfast that had arrived moments earlier and Kaia was calmly sleeping in Gil's lap. Nurse Annette washed her hands and used a wet paper towel to wipe splotches off her uniform before turning back to her patients.

"Ok, is everyone alright now?" she asked, somewhat stiffly. Sydney nodded, and said quietly,

"Yes thank you." Sophie swallowed her bite of cereal and put down her spoon.

"I have question," she said, pointing at the back waistline of Annette's rumpled Disney scrubs. "What's La Perla?"

...

...

One chapter left to go...


	5. Chapter 5

Alexa Sidle navigated the crowded halls of the lower floors at Desert Palms Hospital, fighting back annoyance with all those who got in her way. She had arrived at the party yesterday, expecting a wonderful afternoon with her granddaughter and great granddaughters. The fear that had gripped her when Tika explained the situation had left her breathless and cold. Slipping a hand around the locket she wore on a chain around her neck, Alexa reflected on her time with her family as she walked.

Alexa van den Brink was an only child; her father was Dutch, and the founder of an international haulage company, her mother the daughter of a British Earl. Alexa was well educated, earning her degree in architecture at Columbia University. She met her fiancé at Columbia; Andrew Sidle was an ex-marine and business major, and exactly the kind of son her father had wanted. They had a few fairy tale years of marriage, Andrew was thriving in the family career, they had a wonderful home, and a beautiful little boy they named Mark.

Alexa's fingers clenched on her locket as a very portly nurse slammed into her at full speed.

"Sorry," called the woman as she ran on; grinding her teeth, Alexa pushed away from the wall and shook her aching arm and shoulder, then continued on. She had loved Mark dearly, spending hours playing with him, and teaching him games. But her father and Andrew had always pushed Mark to go further, do better, and be more. After Alexa's parent died in a car accident and Andrew took the helm of the business he became even more driven. The pressure on Mark increased; soon he was a swim champion at the elite boarding school Andrew had insisted on. Then he was a county champion, a regional victor and a national titleholder. Alexa tried to stop it, but Andrew argued. Mark was eighteen and headed for Edinburgh Medical School, but only after the summer Olympics where he was destined to bring home a gold medal for his father.

Except he didn't. Mark brought home one bronze medal after swimming in five events. Alexa tried to get between her husband and son; their fight was unparalleled and in the end Mark left in the middle of the night, taking advantage of the American passport he had never used, and leaving the Dutch one destroyed on his father's desktop.

Andrew refused to find him. He kept Alexa on a tight leash, bullying and forcing her into submission as he retreated farther inside himself, lashing out whenever she broached the subject. Dodging a porter with a supply cart Alexa recalled how she used to imagine that he was happy somewhere, and that one day she would see him again. She never had.

Jumping back she just barely avoided having her shoes vomited on by a young man with green hair. Shivering with revulsion, and ordering her stomach to behave, she rounded the next corner with a sigh of relief.

Eight years ago Andrew had died of a heart attack. Alexa had supposed she should be grieving, but instead, she sold the business, auctioned off Andrew's collectibles, donated the rest of his possessions to charity and hired a private investigator. It had taken about four months for her to learn that Mark had moved to America and joined the hippie culture. He had changed his name to John and within two years he had opened a bed and breakfast in Tamales Bay, California.

Alexa had been thrilled to hear from Luke, the PI, that Mark had married a woman named Laura Bennett, and that they had a daughter named Sara Annabelle Sidle. When she had asked Luke if he had an address, he had been forced to tell her that Mark was dead. If she had been horrified to learn her son was gone, it was nothing compared to what she felt upon hearing of the circumstances surrounding his death. For years Alexa had prayed that Mark would be spared the driven, vicious, inflammatory side of Andrew's personality, but if Laura Sidle's actions were to be believed then he most certainly hadn't.

Alexa flattened herself against a wall as a flurry of white coat clad doctors thundered past. Asking the investigator about the daughter she had run into a problem. With Mark dead and Laura in prison the child had no other family and had been placed into state care at the age of eleven. Her records were sealed with no way to access them.

It was another seven months before she heard anything. Exactly eleven months to the day that Andrew died Luke turned up at her house with news and a file full of information. Alexa had sat at the kitchen table for hours, taking it all in. Sara Annabelle Sidle would be twenty-six in two months' time. A clipping from the graduation edition of the Tamales Bay High School newspaper listed the sixteen year old Sara as valedictorian and noted her college choice of Harvard University. A college graduation announcement listed the girl with the science honours students only three years later after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Theoretical Physics with a minor in Mathematics.

Skirting a pool of liquid she did not want to know the contents of Alexa remembered sitting at the table amazed at the achievements she was reading about; a master's degree from University of California, Berkley, as well as numerous journal publications and studies that Luke had included copies of. Sara had worked at the Coroner's Office in San Francisco before transferring to the crime lab. From what Luke had found, she seemed to be something of a rising star among their ranks; sharp, intelligent, fiercely independent and unbendingly morally observant.

She also had children. Three daughters, to be precise. Twin girls who would be five in three weeks and a ten month old baby; Sophie Anne, Sydney Leigh and Kaia Rebekah. Luke had managed to take a photo of Sara in a park with the children; Alexa was struck by the similarities between her and Sara. Brown eyes, brown curls, tall and slender. From what she could tell, it seemed the older two children had inherited those characteristics as well.

She had tried to write to Sara, but was unable to find the words to describe her thoughts. After half a dozen drafts she gave in, called her travel agent and packed a bag. The most impulsive thing she had ever done in her life, and, as it turned out, the best.

Finally reaching the twins' room Alexa stopped in the doorway to watch. Both girls were sitting dejectedly in bed; their arms were covered in a grid drawn on in ink, patches and marks. A rash speckled much of their visible skin, and their eyes were red and puffy. Gil and Sara were trying to keep them entertained, reading softly and holding them close. Kaia was sprawled at the bottom of Sophie's bed, subduedly playing with a doll.

Injecting cheer into her voice Alexa waltzed into the room.

"Good morning my little darlings," she called, kissing each of the girls on the forehead.

"Hi granny," they chorused softly.

"It's so gloomy in here," sighed Alexa dramatically, "that won't do at all." All three girls eyed her and the bag she was carrying, curiosity abating some of their misery. Sara smiled blearily at her grandmother, her eyes betraying her exhaustion and desperation.

"My little Princesses, I raided the Adventure Chest for such an occasion as this," she announced. Her words had the desired effect; her granddaughters sat up and watched her expectantly. "You know what that means right?" she asked them. Three heads nodded vigorously and Alexa turned to Sara and Gil. "As the rituals of the Adventure Chest are sacred to the sworn Adventurers alone, we now invite you to go and get some lunch and relax for an hour or two." Alexa winked at Sara and Gil and they gratefully kissed the girls and left for a while.

"Princesses of the Order of Adventurers," intoned Alexa in Dutch, opening her duffle, "before we can begin we must first be adorned as Princesses should be." She withdrew four headdresses, each decorated to reflect the personality and passions of the bearer. They all put on their crowns, and Alexa pulled out four purple cups and a thermos flask, from which she poured out four portions of strawberry milk.

"To the latest Adventure of the Order," she saluted. Giggling, the girls copied her and they all drank down their milk.

…

"What exactly are they doing?" asked Gil as he and Sara walked the two blocks from the hospital to a small, quiet café.

"Playing games and telling stories," replied Sara. "Granny teaches them arts and crafts, tells folk stories and legends, and shows them things like tying knots, building campfires and pitching tents. She was a decorated girl scout, so she's passing down her knowledge."

"Where did the Adventure Chest come into it?" he asked, amused.

"When Granny moved over here, all her craft supplies were stored in a huge old trunk. Syd thought it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, like something from long ago adventures. It just grew from there. They developed a ritual for anything to do with the Adventure Chest. They even keep a memory book that details each adventure with pictures and diagrams." Gil looked intrigued by her last statement.

"Really?" he mused. Sara laughed at his expression.

"Don't bother trying to get hold of it," she warned him. "It's all in Dutch."

"The girls can read and write Dutch? I thought they could just speak it." Sara laughed at his shock.

"No, ritual dictates all Adventure Chest business is conducted in Dutch." She replied. "So I'm told!" She raised her tone and said loftily, "Intimate details of the Order are not passed on to the uninitiated." He snorted with laughter as they found seats and perused the menu.

"Sophie?" he guessed.

"Who else," she answered, an eyebrow raised. He nodded in agreement.

"It always unnerves me when I have them and they sit at the table, heads bent together and whispering away in Dutch to each other. I always wonder what they're plotting and how much chaos is about to descend upon me," he acknowledged.

They fell silent as they made their decisions and waited to place their order.

"You ok?" he asked, seeing the faraway expression in her eyes as she idly stirred her tea. Her gaze slowly settled on him as her thoughts came back to the present.

"Fine," she shrugged in a classic Sara gesture. "I just can't believe this happened. I'm trying to think about how this will affect the future." Gil nodded his understanding.

"Well, whatever it is, it can't be that common. They're ten, and they eat well, so the allergen isn't something they come across in in their normal routine. As long as we know what it is, it shouldn't be hard to avoid it in the future," he reasoned. Sara just nodded and looked down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap. Watching her with a frown in his features he saw a tear drop from her cheek and fall onto her sleeve.

With a sigh he slid over to her side of the booth and wrapped her up in his arms. She let her head fall against his chest as she cried herself out. He ran a hand soothingly over her back as he released a deep breath, letting tension seep away from his body.

"They're still here," he murmured to her, "they're going to be ok."

"I'm sorry," sniffed Sara as she got herself under control. He passed her a napkin and she blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

"Don't be; I've been running the situation through my mind over and over and each time it gets worse. I can't stop thinking about the negative instead of the positives."

"Me too," she sniffed. She looked at him, her soft brown gaze penetrating the barriers he threw up against the world. "I'm tired Griss," she said softly. "I'm tired of this mess and the fighting and the sadness and the time we're wasting being mad at each other. We need to figure this out; we can't go on with this 'can't live with each other but can't live without each other' thing. It's not fair on the girls, and it's not fair on us either."

"I agree," he answered, pulling another napkin apart in his lap. "I don't like the 'live without each other' bit though," he confessed.

"Nor do I," she admitted, giving him a weak, tearstained smile.

…

After taking their time over lunch and talking things through, Gil and Sara arrived back at the hospital much relieved and easier in each other's company. They had a long way to go, but they both felt the first, and toughest, hurdle was behind them. As they arrived in the hallway of the paediatric unit their girls were in, Doctor Kezi McAdamson came out of a room and saw them. She led them into a small conference room.

"We've determined the cause of the reaction yesterday," she said without preamble. "The sample you brought this morning was very helpful," she added, nodding to Grissom.

"Avocado in the smoothies yesterday caused the anaphylaxis. According to her test results, Sydney ingested more of it than Sophie, which is why her reaction was more severe." She paused and looked at the parents, to make sure they were following her.

"Avocado," mused Sara. "That's odd."

"It's not one of the more common allergies, but in this case it's obviously very acute. We have also identified Tetracycline, Penicillin, Brazil nuts and pistachios as other allergens the twins suffer from."

"Is there anything else?" asked Gil, his eyebrows drawn together in thought.

"No. Now, the Tetracycline and Penicillin are easy to manage; we've put alerts in their medical files and unless they need antibiotics in the future they shouldn't be exposed. The Brazil nuts and pistachios are up to you. You need to learn what products contain trace elements of the allergens and avoid them. Fortunately, these two are a lot less common than some of the other nut varieties used in food. Keep in mind though, that they might come in contact with these allergens without actually ingesting them. You'll get a lot of literature to take home and read, and I suggest you educate the girls on what to avoid, what to look for, and what to do if they do come in contact with an allergen. I can see that they're both very intelligent."

Sara smiled guiltily.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologised. "I should have warned you but I was so stressed I forgot."

"That's ok," replied the doctor, grinning. "I was just a little taken aback. It's not every day you get an adult patient that ahead of the game, let alone two ten year olds." Sara and Gil exchanged knowing grins.

"Now," continued Kezi, "I would also highly recommend that both girls get allergy alert bracelets, and before you go home all four of you, and preferably your Grandmother and younger daughter as well, will be trained on how to use an Epi-pen." Gil nodded, then said,

"When can we take them home?"

"Tomorrow; the testing has made both of them somewhat dizzy and short of breath. We're giving them oxygen to help with that, and eye drops for the conjunctivitis. They have a slight fever, but that will go down as the testing agents leave their systems. So aside from the rash and the conjunctivitis they should be as good as new tomorrow, and probably very ready to leave."

…

After thanking the doctor and leaving the room, Gil and Sara hurried down the hall. They could hear all three of their daughters giggling before they saw them. Both beds had been pushed together so that Alexa and the girls could sit in a circle around the deck of cards they were playing with. Glancing at the game, Gil grinned to himself; at least he wouldn't be the one in trouble for this. Looking around the room he spotted the bag Alexa had brought in earlier; it was zipped shut and had a length of string tied through the zippers in a very complicated knot to foil intruders. Alexa caught him staring, and winked.

Sara walked over to hug each of her daughters, relieved to finally have concrete answers that she could tackle. Her eyes roamed over them; making sure they were all ok. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the card game and choked.

"You're playing poker?" she asked, aghast. The three girls looked at her, startled by her horrified tone. As one they pointed to their granny and said, in unison,

"She taught me everything I know."


End file.
